Vineyard View: Firefly Cellars

Vineyard View: Firefly Cellars

By Peter Leonard-Morgan

Relax to live music on the Firefly deck

Photos by Peter Leonard-Morgan

The welcoming interior of the tasting barn

Andrea Zaidi and her mom, Patty, had for years dreamed of owning a wine property. The dream materialized when they came across Hunters Run Winery, on Charles Town Pike, just outside Hamilton, Virginia, which was quietly for sale.

Following lengthy, and at times stalled, discussions with the sellers, Andrea and Patty succeeded in agreeing on terms, and they were off to the races.

The new partners, together with Andrea’s brother Zach, did not even consider simply re-branding and carrying on as before. They had plans to reinvent the property and its identity. They set about completely upgrading the main tasting barn, improving customer outdoor spaces and turning the property’s cottage into a destination Airbnb complete with swimming pool.

The family’s main business for over 30 years has been a successful pest control company. So, when brainstorming ideas for a new name for their winery, as Andrea jokes, “We had fun laughing at names as a result of our main business, but ‘Firefly’ conjured up a far prettier image!” And thus, Firefly Cellars was born.

As no wine production facilities existed at the property, the new owners approached Randy Phillips, the owner and winemaker at Cave Ridge Vineyard in Shenandoah Valley’s Mount Jackson to produce Firefly’s wines. Today the tasting room menu offers several white and red wines, plus a Blanc de Blancs and two dessert wines.

The main tasting room is a delightful red, post and beam barn, resplendent with contrasting black standing seam metal roof and cupola, in which guests are able to stand at the bar, or sit around one of the tables and enjoy their favorite varietal. Options include a crisp Chardonnay, or a rich aromatic Viognier, a Virginia favorite, or their own Illumination, a white blended wine consisting of Riesling, Traminette and, unusually, white Cabernet Franc.

If red wine is your preference, there are five currently on offer at Firefly Cellars, including a nice full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, their Petit Verdot, with its spicy aromas and flavors of dark fruit, or a medium-bodied, smoky Chambourcin, or perhaps their Cabernet Franc, which has been aged in Hungarian oak barrels producing flavors of dark fruit, or last but not least, Twilight, Firefly’s red blend consisting of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot.

The Firefly Blanc de Blancs is made using Chardonnay grapes and produced in the Charmat method, more of an Italian Prosecco technique, whereby bubbles are trapped via carbonation in steel tanks, unlike the slower Champagne method that creates secondary fermentation in the bottle.

And, if you’re looking for dessert wine options, you have found them in the guise of Firefly’s Sweet Traminette, with its floral and lemon flavors and their Moonlight, a sweet Port-style wine that has been aged in Bourbon barrels to produce a chocolaty, nutty flavor--the traditional after dinner tipple!

For those planning to visit more frequently, the wine club may be an excellent option with member discounts in return for a minimal annual purchase commitment - either three or six bottle purchases per quarter.

Firefly Cellars is a short drive west from Route 7 on Route 9, Charles Town Pike, and just minutes from Leesburg, the Loudoun County seat. The property is just under four acres, but offers plenty in the way of parking, outside picnicking, a secluded deck where musicians take the stage on a regular basis, and the aforementioned Airbnb cottage and pool, available by reservation for special occasions for two guests.

You’ll usually find Andrea, with her infectious vivaciousness, in the tasting room, where there’s a decidedly friendly atmosphere. Make sure to say hello!

Details: Firefly Cellars 703-314-5650